Orange Wines

All kinds of yakitori, aloo gobi & dense fish like cobia & haddock.

Serve from the fridge, but she won’t mind being out of an ice bucket for a bit

The story of Ottomani began with four friends who grew up together and turned a dream into reality. Not that far off from us girls at Crushed!

They graduated from the University of Florence with Oenology (that’s the science of wine) degrees and chose to separate for a while to get some exposure working in real wineries. With a few years of experience and some real savoir-faire in their back pockets, the boys came back together and purchased a farm of their own. In 2006, Ottomani was born with indigenous grape preservation and sustainability sowed into its mission statement.

 They’re organic and biodynamic, they hand-harvest everything and don’t irrigate their vines. They’re working hard to preserve the biodiversity of the region by propagating traditional indigenous varieties like Ciliegiolo, Bonamico and Malvasia Nera (also known as Uva Rara – the rare grape). The wines are unfiltered & unfined.

We love how much personality this one has – cheerful flowers contrasted with a moody, broody, textured core. Ain’t nobody calling this baby simple.

Place: Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
Grape: Trebbiano, Malvasia
Style: Textured & perfumey
Ingredients: Grapes + SO2

Once you subscribe, we'll send you an email to hear more about your fave (and least fave) wines plus anything else you’d like us to know about your wine preferences. Whether you're brand new to small-batch wine or a cork dork who knows exactly what you'd like, we are here to make you your perfect 6 pack every month.
We’ll also ask whether you’d like to receive 6 new bottles to uncover each month or if you’d prefer to opt for pairs of 3 new wines (perhaps you’re sharing you’re subscription with a friend or just want to keep a bottle for later).

After we hear back on the email mentioned above, we’ll get your wines to you within 1 – 2 business days. After the first month, we’ll ship your case the business day after your subscription rolls through. If there is a best day to receive deliveries, just let us know!

Yes! We love feedback! Let us know what you loved, hated or if you want to mix things up and we’ll make sure to adjust for your next case.

Each wine will include a neck tag with a QR code that takes you to the bottle's page on our website so you can read all about your new wine crush! Sometimes we will sneak in something that’s not on the site – in that case, we’ll write some info just for you.

Steamed seafood, paprika-spiked potatoes, roast goose

Chilled but you can keep it out of the fridge once it's open

Hubby to the ‘H’ in pH, is but one of many monikers for Thinus Krüger – cowboy, maverick, rock star are just a few of the others. Big hair, big moustache, big ideas and big adventures are the hallmarks of his pioneering project, named after a Norwegian ship that attempted to sail to both the North & South Poles. He’s headed to the edges of the winemaking map to find what vineyards lie over the next horizon, resulting in audacious and unusual wines that make the world feel like the good place it should be.

This baby comes from the only Grenache Gris vineyard in South Africa and Thinus is the only one making it in an orange skin contact style!

Place: Voor Paardeberg, South Africa
Grape: Grenache Gris
Style: Melty gummy goodness
Ingredients: Grapes + SO2

Francis' honey & pomegranate halloumi, buttered sourdough toast, carbonara

Serve this cool kid cold

Jolette Steyn is a super international wine sales lady by day, planning Vineyard Parties on the side. She has 15 harvests under her belt and quit her winemaking day job to take a gamble on making the kinds of wine she, as a self-proclaimed wine geek, truly loves. The Vineyard Party aims to bring some of South Africa’s lesser-known varietals to the forefront by exploring the Cape’s vineyards in search of biodiverse, sustainably farmed vineyards with happy soils, people and vines. 

The reference? Val Kilmer in Tombstone. (No, we haven’t seen it either). The tale of an underrated, underappreciated grape rising to the occasion, accepting the challenge, saying with confidence that “I’m the one you’re looking for”.

Place: Stellenbosch, South Africa
Grape: Semillon with skins & stems
Style: Quirky & fun
Ingredients: Grapes + WAY less SO2 than in store-bought orange juice (and yes, Jolette has tested this because she's allergic to sulphur!)

Vegetable tagine, char siu, beef tartare

She’s good right out of the fridge, this one

The very first winery in the Southern Hemisphere to farm using biodynamic practices, James and Annie Millton have stayed true to their practice since establishing The Millton Vineyard in 1984. Truly experimental, Libiamo represents the next generation of the Millton family, taking the reins and looking toward something that is completely unmanipulated and doesn’t leave a debt or burden on the planet.

These guys are the poster children of sustainable farming – James Millton believes wholeheartedly in not only the benefit but the importance of biodynamics. The Libiamo range is lower intervention, with no filtering or fining (hence those fun crunchy bits in the bottom of the bottle!)

The Libiamo Field blend is unfiltered, unfined and un-compromised. Also, - Libiamo translates to “Let's Drink” in Italian. Well, cheers to that, we say!

Place: Gisborne, New Zealand
Grape: Gewürztraminer, Marsanne and Muscat
Style: Punchy and rich
Ingredients: Grapes + the smallest amount of sulphur they can

Take a moment to appreciate this one on its own. Or with a box of shortbread cookies.

Chilled but not icy cold - no need for the ice bucket once it’s open

Switzerland has a mild climate - not that we’re looking at extremes in New Zealand, but the opportunity to grow interesting and varied grapes was limited, at best, in Hans and Therese’s home country. In Marlborough, they’re free to grow almost anything they please (29 varietals and counting) - and by golly, do they do a good job of it!

Excuse us while we go full wine geek here – but there’s a fermentation technique called ‘carbonic maceration’ that’s usually used in the light, fun reds (which I love – Leigh-Ann). Hans did that! With this white wine! Try it! Now!

Place: Marlborough, New Zealand
Grape: Pinot Gris
Style: For the adventurous drinker!

Good friends, good times and good vibes

Keep it on ice

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine. 

Who doesn’t love the idea of sipping their way through a field of wildflowers, apricots and salty sea breezes? No one, that’s who. This little number is a bottle full of sunshine, good times and we love her exactly as she is.

Place: Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, United States
Grape: Pinot Gris, Muscat, Riesling
Style: Orangey delight
Ingredients: Grapes + a teeny bit of sulphur

Vegetable tagine, char siu, beef tartare

Take her out of the fridge an hour or so before serving, you’ll thank us.

They say, quite simply, that they are raising handcrafted wines along with their two daughters. But we think John & Tasha Seccombe are doing so much more than that! They’re raising the profile of forgotten grapes, reflecting on the heritage of a complicated wine-producing country and thoughtfully capturing a new narrative of what that could become.

The name Tin Soldier is a tribute to Semillon’s status as the old foot soldier of the South African industry – it used to make up for nearly 95% of the wine made! Like forgotten old toy soldiers buried in the garden, Semillon is now a mere shadow of its former glory days in the Cape. And boy, are we glad the Seccombe’s dug this one up!

Place: Swartland, South Africa
Grape: Semillon Gris
Style: Skin contact-y, salty-sweet & sophisticated